


Fear of Flying

by moonfairy13



Series: Fremione and the Weasleys [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fear of Flying, Fluff, Flying, Fred Weasley Lives, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Romance, Weasley Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-16 12:44:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14811611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonfairy13/pseuds/moonfairy13
Summary: After accepting Fred's proposal in order to avoid being matched with a stranger, Hermione realises that she has promised to accompany him on a broom ride. But she's terrified of flying. Can any of his siblings help cure her?





	Fear of Flying

“Why didn’t you say something at the time?” Ginny said kindly, taking Hermione’s hand.

“I mostly heard ‘cosy’ and ‘supper’ and ‘moonlight’ and ‘kiss’,” replied Hermione, in a quiet voice. “Not ‘broomstick’.”

“He definitely said broomstick,” said George cheerfully, walking into his sister’s bedroom. “It’s been Fred’s fantasy forever. You in his arms, between his legs, leaning back into his chest, riding off into the sunset together. I ought to know; I’ve heard it A LOT – ”.

Harry looked up from a chocolate frog card that he was attempting to fold into a tiny cardboard aeroplane. “Did he even say kiss? I don’t remember kissing being mentioned?” He raised his eyebrows and grinned, causing Hermione to respond by sticking her tongue out. But she couldn’t help but let a small smile escape, and Harry felt cheered that he had helped her feel a bit better.

“I said kiss. But he’ll have been thinking it, so same thing really.” George winked at Hermione as he settled himself on the bed beside her and rubbed her back. “He’s an expert flyer. You’re gonna be fine, Hermione.”

“I’m going to be terrified,” she told him, turning to face him. “What will he think of me? I can’t ruin his fantasy by being all scared and wobbly. He’s coming back at two and I need to be ready for our first date.” 

George took Hermione's hand in his own. “Are you really that worried, love?” 

She nodded.

“Fred’s crazy about you. He won’t mind if you want to apparate to the restaurant instead. Just tell him.” 

This time, Hermione shook her head.

“No. I want to do this for him. I mean, he’s going to marry me just to protect me from the marriage law, and I can’t believe my luck. I’ve loved him for years. I want tonight to be perfect.” She lifted her chin, in determination. “No. Somehow, between now and two o’clock, I need to get over my fear of flying.” Then she looked around at her friends. “Help!” she squeaked, happily able to laugh at herself even while truly worried. “Can anyone help?”

Ginny and Harry looked at each other and laughed. “You’re joking, right?!” said Harry. “You’ve got more than half of a Gryffindor quidditch team at your disposal. Two seekers, a beater, a keeper and my favourite chaser…”

Harry’s favourite chaser reached over for Hermione’s hand. “Of course we’ll help!” she said. “Come on, you…” 

Ten minutes later, Ginny, Harry, Charlie, George and Ron were all striding towards the meadow, broomsticks in hand. Hermione walked beside Ginny; still not entirely sure that this was a good plan. She glanced at her friend, but thought better of saying anything. Ginny was a fearless flyer, and Hermione wasn’t sure if she would truly understand how daunted Hermione felt by the idea of being off the ground and out of control.

Ron stopped first, as they reached the near end of their homemade quidditch pitch. 

“Alright, let’s go,” he said. Within seconds, he had mounted his broom and begun to fly a wide figure of eight around his siblings and friends. 

“Who would you like to ride with?” asked Ginny. “None of us will take it personally. What feels right for you?”

Hermione took a deep breath. This might be an even harder decision than when she had been asked to pick a Weasley man to take for her husband earlier that day, after Ginny had offered Hermione any of her brothers in order to save her from being promised in marriage to a stranger. But her favourite Weasley man, Fred, wasn’t an option right now. He was having coffee with a friend in Diagon Alley and finding out how they should register their intention to marry before the law was formally announced.

“Do you trust George?” asked Charlie. “He’s the same shape as Fred, so it might make it easier later if it feels more familiar. Not that I’d mind you sitting on my broomstick if you’d rather -”. Charlie winked at Hermione and gestured to the space between his legs.

“George will be just fine, thank you,” grinned Hermione, pretending to smack Charlie. In response, Charlie turned and stuck his bottom towards her. “Anytime you want, ‘Mione…” He took off in a graceful curve, lifting his broom towards the sky and chuckling to himself.

Hermione laughed too, grateful for anything that would help take her mind off what was about to happen.

“We’re right here, ‘Mione,” said Ginny. “See you in the air!” She took off too, with Harry following right behind her.

Hermione walked slowly towards George and climbed carefully onto the broomstick that he was holding. As he tipped it back to let her settle, Hermione realised that the length of his legs meant that hers were already off the ground. George put his left arm around her waist, urging her to move closer to him.

“I’m not gonna get as cosy with you as Fred will,” he winked at her, “but you’ll probably feel safer if you don’t leave quite so much air between us.”

“OK.” Hermione wiggled further backwards, closer to the man who she suspected might soon become her favourite brother-in-law. George was displaying a gentleness that she hadn’t previously paid much attention to, but that she very much liked. Her mind drifted into the future, imagining tiny redheaded babies and thinking that perhaps George and Fred were going to be better dads than she might previously have given them credit for. Then she shook her head, not quite sure where that thought had come from.

“Pop your hands here and here,” he showed her, adjusting her position a little. I’m going to put my right hand in front so I can steer, and I’ll keep a tight hold of you with this arm and then you can’t ever fall. Even if you wanted to.”

“I will not want to fall, George! That’s what I’m worried about!” She had turned her head so she could give him a stern look. 

“Well then you won’t, lovely. Stay calm.” His voice was low and soft, as if he was talking to one of the tiny puffskeins that he and Fred were breeding for their store. “Look, I’ll put a sticking charm on you like Bill and Charlie used to for Ginny, when she was really little but didn’t want to be left out of quidditch games.” He raised his wand, spoke the incantation and then tucked it back into its holster. “OK?” he asked.

“Maybe,” she replied.

“That’ll do for now. Look, I’m just going to hover a bit higher off the ground. Just a few inches, you’re OK.”

Hermione shook her head, now talking quietly to herself rather than George. “I don’t know if this is right.”

George looked puzzled. “What’s wrong, love?”

“A bit of me thinks I need my first time to be with Fred. I know it sounds crazy…”

“We’re still talking flying, right?” George winked suggestively, and Hermione blushed.

“Yes, we are.”

“And do other bits of you think different things?” George searched Hermione’s eyes with his own.

“Hmmm … maybe,” she said, a bit warily, not sure whether she was going to find herself the butt of his laughter.

“Tell me,” he said softly. “I want to understand you better. We’re going to be spending a lot of time together, and I want to be a good husband-in-law.”

“Husband-in-law?” Hermione tried to frown, but was unable to suppress a laugh.

“Sure,” George said, nodding. “Fred and I are closer than normal brothers.” 

“Well … a bit of me thinks maybe I should wait for Fred. Another bit of me thinks I should just go for it. I think it would be good to know you better, seeing as you’re going to be my husband-in-law.” She chuckled. “It is lovely that you’re doing this for me, for us. But then I think maybe I’m just thinking because while I’m thinking about that I don’t have to think about flying.”

George waited a few seconds before nodding.

“So you’re not expressly withholding consent?”

“No,” she laughed. “Just thinking”.

There was a pause before George spoke again. Hermione looked slightly more relaxed as she sat astride the broom, watching him intently.

“What strikes me the most in all of that, love, is how many bits of you are thinking. Not feeling or just being. I don’t know how your brain copes with it.”

Hermione rolled her eyes.

“No,” he said, patting her hand. “I’m not taking the piss. Truly, I’m not. I’m just noticing that, well, thinking seems to block other things out for you.”

“Like what?” Hermione asked.

“Like the fact that you’re not scared right now, are you?”

“Well no, silly,” she replied. “But we’re not moving yet.”

George laughed, and tightened the arm that he held around her waist.

“Love, we’ve been moving since you said you weren’t withholding consent. I wouldn’t normally ask permission, but seeing as it was you…”

He stopped speaking as Hermione gasped. She turned her head and saw that they were indeed moving. They had, in fact, slowly circled the quidditch pitch and were now making a shallow climb towards a small wooded area. A movement to Hermione’s side caught her attention. 

“You’re doing it!” Ginny smiled from her left flank, while Harry rode up from her other side and added his congratulations. 

“Just breathe,” George said into her ear. “I’ve got you. And Fred will have you later. It’s going to be OK.”

Hermione took a deep, purposeful breath. And then another. She was surprised to realise that she actually did feel OK. She felt safe with George and realised that the anticipation had been far worse than the actual flying.

“I’m OK!” she smiled back at him.

“Yeah, you’re good, love”, he laughed. “Look…” he pointed down as they rose a little higher and turned back towards The Burrow, where Hermione saw Molly in the garden. She was holding a basket of some kind in one hand and waving up at them with the other.

“Are you having fun?” Molly called up when they neared the house.

“I actually think I am!” Hermione shouted back. “I just needed someone who could help me feel safe,” she said, but this time she spoke quietly. George heard though, and placed a brotherly kiss into the curls on the back of her head.

“You’re welcome, love. I’d do anything to make Fred happy, and that means I need to keep you happy too now.”

“Fred floo-called!” Molly had used a sonorous charm on her voice so that Hermione and George could hear her even as they flew back towards the quidditch pitch. “He’ll be here in a few minutes so you can both go to the Ministry.”

“Thank you!” Hermione called back. Molly lifted her hand again in response and then went back to gathering vegetables.

“One more lap?” George asked.

“Yes please,” said Hermione. 

“Are you ready to drive?” he winked.

“I am not,” she smiled back at him. “I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I’m going to marry Fred Weasley. And he’s a cup-winning beater, which means I will never need to drive. I’ll save my talents for other areas.”

George finished their last circle and landed them both gently near the shed, taking his wand in his hand and removing the sticking charm just before his feet touched the ground. The others were now playing some kind of chasing game over the quidditch pitch, which Ron and Harry appeared to be winning.

“Go on, you must be itching to go and have a proper fly,” said Hermione, turning around and swinging her leg over the broomstick so she sat side saddle. “Thank you.” 

She slipped both her arms around George’s neck and pulled him towards her. He hugged her back.

“You’re very welcome, love.” He paused, and Hermione sensed that there was something else he wanted to say.

“Tell me, George,” she whispered, looking concerned. “What is it?”

There was a pause, and then he spoke quietly. “Don’t hurt him. Please. He’s not as tough as you might think.” 

“Oh Georgie,” she brought him closer, whispering into his good ear. “I’ve loved him for years. I’ll take exceptional care of him for you, OK?”

George nodded, not trusting himself to speak anymore. Hermione squeezed him tightly before hopping off the broom. 

“Hello, hello, hello,” said a voice from behind her. “What’s going on here then? Stealing my wife away already?”

Hermione’s heart leaped when she heard Fred. George might be in the running to be her favourite of his brothers, but nobody made her feel the way Fred did. 

“Just dropping her off ready for your date, mate. Are you sorted?”

“Yup,” replied Fred. “Have the details of how we can register our engagement and a dinner reservation for later. Are you ready, love?” He looked at Hermione.

“Thanks to my husband-in-law to be here,” she said, laughing eyes looking up at Fred. “I think I am!”

**Author's Note:**

> Well at the time I first wrote this, I said ‘I'm not making this a multi-chapter story, because that feels like too much pressure lol’. But I was spurred on by the comments and now it seems to have grown a bit!!!


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